for love of a witch
by shel
Summary: cole sets a plan in motion to save phoebe...


**CHARMED **

**"For Love of a Witch"**

by shel

© january 2006

_disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating: pg-13_

_summary: cole sets a plan in motion to save phoebe…_

_timeline: february 2005 – between events of s7's 'charmageddon' and 'carpe demon'…_

_archive: please don't without expressed permission…_

_notes: minor reference to s7's 'seven year witch'…please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…

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_**February 10, 2005**_

"And you're telling me this because?"

Cole growled at the Mercury Demon, rather ex-Mercury Demon, or was it average human with demonic powers, whatever the hell he was now, "Because you owe me!"

Drake didn't cower under the spirit's withering glare and stated with an indignant sniff, "I always repay my debts."

"Then do as I say and there won't be a need for any…unpleasantness between us."

But Drake shrugged and continued as if he hadn't heard, "I just don't see how I can help when I've only got a few weeks left. Why didn't you contact me a year ago after you directed me to the Sorcerer?"

"Because she wasn't in danger a year ago!"

Drake didn't respond as he paced the length of the office Cole had created in the interest of keeping their meeting in as normal an environment as possible. He suspected that, despite all claims otherwise, Cole was still in denial. Or else Cole's powers were more extensive than even Cole realized. He touched the knickknacks in the niches in the wall and was amazed by the details and the textures. He'd been in his share of magical planes but this limbo should have been a plane of nothingness and, yet, here he was, standing in a room that was as real as any in the natural world. "You mind if I add a touch of my own?"

Cole bit back a retort and shook his head with a sigh as he sank down in the plush leather armchair. "Your powers won't work here."

"Then how were you able to do all this? I've at least got a physical form."

"I don't know. Will power?" From his seat, Cole glanced at the simple silver frame on the desk. A picture of Phoebe he'd recreated from one of the thousands of images burned in his memory. He stood abruptly, "We don't have time for this. You need to get to Magic School now before Paige hires another teacher."

"What's another day or two?" Drake carefully considered as he stared at Cole. "I want to know who I'm dealing with and, I hate to break it to you, pal, you're not as objective about the Charmed Ones as you might think."

"I've told you all about them!" Cole snapped.

"Based on your experiences with them from two years ago," Drake acknowledged.

"They're valid observations from watching them from here," Cole emphasized. "The sisters haven't changed."

"From what you're asking me to do," Drake commented, "they obviously have. I need to watch them, Cole. I need to see for myself how they interact so that I can figure out the best way to approach them and succeed with your plan."

"Get the job from Paige," Cole ordered. "As soon as the first demon attacks, you'll meet Phoebe and Piper."

Drake raised an eyebrow, "You're sending another demon to attack?"

Cole rolled his eyes and clarified, "I won't need to…the Charmed Ones are magnets for evil. I guarantee, you won't be there an hour before some crisis happens. Use your demonic knowledge to help them. They might have some reservations at first but even if Phoebe doesn't give you the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure you'll come up with a way to convince them to accept your help. Remember, stay close to Phoebe. She's the reason you're there."

Drake knew he would do what Cole wanted but he still had to question, "If you're so sure she's in danger, why not approach her yourself?"

Cole waved his hand and transported them both to the familiar bedroom where the occupant sat on her window seat staring out the window to the street below. Though she wouldn't be able to hear them, he still lowered his voice, "Look at her. Can't you feel the sadness and despair about her? I can't help her and, if sending you doesn't guide her back to love, her soul will be lost…forever."

Drake gazed at Cole's witch and understood why the former demon had been attracted to her. The small picture he'd noticed on Cole's desk didn't do her justice. Dressed simply in an orange sleep-shirt, with no makeup and brown tousled curls framing her face, she was breathtaking.

Cole paid attention to the way Drake reacted, "There's more to Phoebe than her looks. She's filled with passion and determination. She won't let anyone stand in the way of what she believes to be right. And she will fight for that belief with every fiber of her being." He couldn't help himself and moved closer to her, distressed by the tears streaming down her face. "When she opens her heart, she opens it fully and completely. And when she's betrayed she's filled with more anger and pain than you can imagine."

Drake nodded towards Phoebe, "She's not like this tonight because of you, you know. Didn't you just finish telling me that the Charmed Ones went up against the Avatars and lost?"

Cole remained focused on his wife, ex-wife, and corrected the demon, "They didn't exactly lose, merely postponed the Avatars' plans for a while…a long while. But in doing so, Phoebe was…reminded of losses she did suffer. And it reopened many wounds she thought had long been healed."

"She must have loved you very much," Drake remarked, "for her not to have succeeded in other relationships."

"She did," Cole replied in a hoarse voice.

"Probably still does," Drake added, "or she wouldn't be sitting here like this at three a.m. mourning your loss."

Cole didn't respond. He couldn't hope for that although he suspected it was true. Either way, he wasn't meant to be with her. He was in limbo and Drake was his last hope to ensure that Phoebe didn't join him.

As if he knew Cole's thoughts, Drake suggested, "You wouldn't be alone. Neither would she. So maybe this is what fate intended for you both."

Cole's head snapped back in Drake's direction, "Limbo isn't some happily-ever-after fairy tale! Phoebe needs to love and be loved in return. And if you're refusing --"

Drake held up his hands and smiled, "Calm down, my friend. I'll do it, for both of you. But, if Phoebe's everything you say she is, then you know I may not be able to convince her of anything concerning love."

"You will," Cole disagreed, "because deep down Phoebe wants to believe. All you need to do is give her a reason."

"And if I become that reason?" Drake warily asked.

"Why do you think I chose you?"

"Because I was dying," Drake challenged, "and wouldn't be a threat to your memory."

Cole's hands clenched into fists, "You think I would deliberately set up Phoebe to fall in love with you only to have her heart broken when you die weeks later?"

"Not consciously," Drake apologized, "but you must admit the timing is rather --"

"Go," Cole interrupted and turned away from the demon to face Phoebe once more, "and do what you have to do." He reached a hand out but stopped just inches from Phoebe's cheek. "If she chooses you and saves you, so be it."

Before Drake could respond, the air swirled around him and he suddenly found himself back in his own apartment. When Cole didn't materialize, he spoke aloud, "She'll believe in love again, Cole. I swear it."

There was no answer but Drake felt sure that Cole had heard. Pulling his shirt over his head, ready to begin a workout, he began to make plans to watch the Charmed Ones. One day trailing each sister should be enough. And then he'd go to Magic School and apply for the job he had no doubts of receiving.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd teach the sisters about more than the magic of love.

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_**February 13, 2006**_

"He was a wonderful teacher…"

Piper gazed down at the shining trails of tears on her younger sister's cheeks, "It's the middle of the night, Pheebs, you should be asleep."

Phoebe shrugged and leaned back against the attic sofa. She was uncomfortable on the floor but she'd needed the low table. "I needed to do this."

Piper sat on the floor next to her sister and, when Phoebe leaned against her, she wrapped her arm around Phoebe. She stared at the single thick white burning candle, "You couldn't have waited 'til morning to bless his memory?"

"A year ago today," Phoebe reminisced.

Piper smiled, "Drake certainly knew how to make a first impression didn't he…"

"Do you remember how he changed our appearances? Do you remember how he danced? Just like Gene Kelly…"

"I remember," Piper wistfully smiled.

"It seems like a lifetime ago," Phoebe whispered.

"This's the third week in a row you've come up here in the middle of the night," Piper softly chastised. "You can't keep this up, Phoebe, you need your sleep. Especially when we've been so busy with Billie and her search."

"She's getting desperate," Phoebe considered, "because she feels like she's getting closer to her finding her sister but that time is running out."

"Is that how Billie feels," Piper carefully asked, "or how you feel?"

Phoebe didn't respond immediately and, instead, snuggled closer to her sister. Piper didn't push her further and it was a few moments before she could admit, "I miss him."

Understanding what other anniversary had set off her sister's emotions and understanding Phoebe wasn't referring solely to Drake, she rubbed her sister's arm and simply said, "I know."

As they sat quietly together, Piper debated for the zillionth time whether or not to confess to her sister the truth about Cole. Could Phoebe handle it? How would Phoebe handle it? It wasn't as if Phoebe could be with him.

"Piper?"

Startled from her thoughts, Piper hugged her sister, "I love you, Pheebs."

"I know," Phoebe smiled gratefully, "and I'm sorry that I've tested the limits lately."

Piper frowned and pushed her sister back slightly, "I'm your sister. There are no limits. And even if you weren't my sister, you're my best friend. You listen to me and encourage me. You give me advice and hope when I'm lost. Even when I don't want to hear, you make me listen and believe."

"Believe?" Phoebe echoed in a confused whisper.

"In love," Piper declared. "It's what you're all about, Phoebe, what drives you. Out of all of us, you're the one most connected. It's why you're meant to be the empath."

"Like that'll ever happen again," Phoebe muttered.

"It will," Piper assured her. "You're stronger now, wiser."

"Not doomed anymore to repeat the same mistakes?" Phoebe scoffed.

"You didn't love Dex."

"No," Phoebe admitted. "But I did love…"

Piper kissed Phoebe's temple, "Drake knew how you felt about him…just like Cole did."

Phoebe couldn't help but stiffen at the sound of Cole's name. But she honestly wondered, "Did they? Really?"

"Absolutely."

"I miss him."

"_I miss you too,"_ Cole replied from the opposite corner of the attic. At least he knew now why he'd been drawn to her tonight. Secure in knowing she couldn't see or hear him, he encouraged, _"Baby steps, Phoebe. Love will happen. You just have to let it in little by little."_

When Phoebe suddenly lifted her head from Piper's shoulder, Piper followed Phoebe's gaze and scanned the room. "What'cha looking at, Phoebe?"

Phoebe didn't know how to express what she felt, that sense of familiarity, of love. Maybe she was simply feeling Piper's emotions. But she shook her head. There was more to it than that and she couldn't place her finger on what exactly. She pulled herself free from her sister's arms and strode across the room.

She was so close and it took every ounce of his willpower for Cole not to touch her. Somehow she could sense him but she hadn't quite made the connection yet and he couldn't risk that she would. He stepped back.

Piper watched Phoebe with growing concern. The last time Phoebe had reacted like this was when she'd been in limbo with Cole. She scrambled to her feet with the realization that Cole was there. "She doesn't know…" she whispered to him, praying Phoebe was too lost in thought to hear.

Cole nodded to Piper despite the fact that she couldn't see him any more than Phoebe could. _"I'm sorry, Phoebe, but it's better this way. You need to move on with your life and find the happiness you deserve without me complicating it."_

Phoebe wasn't sure why she was crying and she turned back helplessly to her sister.

Piper rushed to her sister and pulled Phoebe into her arms, all the while staring into the corner Phoebe had just turned from. "It's okay, Pheebs," she murmured, "it's okay."

"He knew how I felt, right?" Phoebe desperately asked. "Right, Piper?"

"_I knew,"_ Cole replied.

Believing she was speaking honestly on his behalf, Piper assured her sister, "He knew, sweetie, he knew."

"Drake believed in love, y'know," Phoebe sniffled as she pulled back and rubbed her eyes. "I thought he'd convinced me but until this moment…" She gazed at her sister, "If you can believe so strongly in your love for Leo, maybe…I want to believe, Piper, I really do…"

Piper swept some locks of hair behind Phoebe's ear, "One step at a time, sweetie. You'll find it again, I promise. And maybe, just maybe, you'll find him again too."

_**The End**_


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